Guest Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 I have decided to get the environment right first so spent last week removing cupboard doors so children can actually access resources! First question was "Can we touch the play dough miss?" At the moment I am doing teacher led activities in the morning and challenges after lunch and have had some tears from children who want to be told what to write and do... cue ..."One morning When the little boy had been in school awhile, The teacher said: "Today we are going to make a picture." ... Great Quote Marion! Sarah I am in the same boat as you implementing the same style but with a YR/1/2 class. I have no experience either but I am sticking at it. Feel free to email me if you want to pair up and get through the self doubt together! Best wishes to all x
Guest Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 I just thought I'd drop by this thread to see how things were going for everyone. Sarah sounds like you have a tough challenge being on your own with it but please don't give up, you'll find lots of good advice in this thread and throughout the whole forum. At the moment do your children have challenges or targets when they go to certain areas? I try to link mine in with something we've been doing, and although I'm not sitting there and specifically linking them with skills or NC level I think they instictively are linked in if they relate to what you are covering in class. Sometimes though they aren't at all. Last week one challenge was to make a pair of binoculars because next week we're going to be reading Bear Hunt and actually wandering around school with our binoculars, the children were really enthusiastic and there's some creative interpretations been produced and some problem solving as a couple worked out how to attach string and other followed along. Certainly not linked to the NC but definitely developing useful skills in a fun way. I have to confess I'm having difficulty coming up with challenges though. This week I'm finding it particularly hard (and the EY advisor is coming to watch me on monday so I need to have great challenges!) We suffer from lack of resources which doesn't help matters and my children hate doing anything involving writing because it's 'work'. This week I told them they could make jelly again next week if they ordered the pictures for the instructions and wrote something next to them as to what to do (we made jelly the week before). Despite the bribery only 5 children out of 29 actually did it and I had to nag them into doing it. This isn't because they can't do it (I actually gave my lowest group a TA to work with to help them order the pictures one session so those 5 managed to do it too) but because they can't be bothered to have a try. I'm struggling with getting the message across that the must do these challenges, because they do the 'easy' or 'fun' ones and then don't bother with the rest, even if they are really excited about doing all of them when we talk about them at the beginning of the week and at review times. Does anyone else come across this problem? I know it's the nature of the area I'm working in and partly the way the children have been brought up but I need them to do these challenges without me nagging and turning it into a chore. This term topics are materials in science, homes in topic work, family in RE and sculptures in art. Does anyone have any good ideas for challenges linked to these themes? I'm struggling with idea and I really don't want anything that's going to involve me spending a fortune on resources because I just don't have the money! Gosh kariana no wonder it is difficult to think up lots of challenges when you have to cover so many topics! We have one topic and fit the subjects into the one topic and we also carry it on for what is now two terms ( one old season term) that way we can go with the children's interests and get things done in real depth. I am off to the Nursery World Conference in Islington today if i see any good books for challenge ideas I will post them. Marion and Susan soulds like your children have already become the Little boy and the Red Rose!!! Amazing how quickly they lose their independence when they leave FS!
Guest Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 Thank you all so much, it's fantastic to have some people to talk to! At the moment do your children have challenges or targets when they go to certain areas? I think I am giving the children challenges, although not consciously setting out to do so!! I 'challenged' them last week to make some play resources / equipment for our role play (that they chose!). We are focussing on hot/cold and they decided to make some tools/equip that a polar explorer would need - i.e. fishing rods (TA took a group to gather sticks outside and they attached twine and used feathers as pretend bait!!), binoculars, telescopes... We talked about polar adventures during snack time and I challenged a Year 2 group to write their own Polar adventure. Gave them an opening and five key words (polar bear, binoculars, flask, weather, petrified) and encouraged them to include these words in their tale, they wrote independently for one activity session and all asked if they could return and finish them in a second rotation. The stories were great! Do you tend to have challenges at each of the independent activities? I have just started doing focus groups for literacy and numeracy, the Y2 numeracy fgs have been more formal / directed in lots of ways because Im worried about bloomin' SATS!! The R/Y1 teacher encouraged me to have a play activity later in the week so these children can apply the numeracy skill from the fg. She is a fantastic teacher and my NQT induction tutor but unfortunately we have little-no time to meet, plan together etc. Have frequently asked for advice on matters but am now coming across as a pest who has no initiative!! Also concerned that as Im working with the fgs Im not having the chance to observe or assess the play activities. I have two TAs, one is a non-believer, the other has little previous TA experience. Any advice on whether they should perhaps be leading the fgs and I could rotate around the play activities? Then Im concerned as the children are having little input from me... but there again that's not how they learn is it?!! Off to meet with the AST this week and to see her R/Y1 class. Our HT is incredibly happy with the fab play-based that happens in fs but seems reluctant to support the jump into Y1/2. At one stage the advice given to me was to have the Y1s doing more indep play based and focus more on moving the Y2s along!!! Im South West based, anyone nearby that would have me for a visit? Thanks again! P.s. Fellow NQT is in Y2/3 class, anybody seen this done further up into Year 3?? We have also been looking at the weather and weather reports and are going to attempt to write/record/film our own next week. One activity last week was for the children to find a weather symbol burried in the sand and dress a bear in appropiate clothing for that weather. One group tired of this quite quickly, I noticed them piling up all the sand and sticking an umbrella and rain symbol in the top! I went and talked to them about what they were doing, to which one little one relied: "We're making a weather castle, yeah, for the weather lady, yeah. Because she needs to tell everyone what kind of weather it will be so they can wear the right clothes and stuff. So we made the castle so she can stand on top so everyone can see her and see that it's gonna be rainy in the west, so she sticks the weather symbol on the top of her castle like a flag". Surely that's using and applying through play, it did make me smile!
Guest Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 (edited) Gosh kariana no wonder it is difficult to think up lots of challenges when you have to cover so many topics! We have one topic and fit the subjects into the one topic and we also carry it on for what is now two terms ( one old season term) that way we can go with the children's interests and get things done in real depth. I am off to the Nursery World Conference in Islington today if i see any good books for challenge ideas I will post them. Marion and Susan soulds like your children have already become the Little boy and the Red Rose!!! Amazing how quickly they lose their independence when they leave FS! Sadly not my choice, the school is very attached to its old QCA units and as I'm only part time I can't influence the way the other teacher is organising the foundation stage subjects (she's been there ages and she's a good teacher but reluctant to leave her comfort zone). I'm having to fit the challenges around what she's doing for them to work. Does anyone have any ideas for good independent challenges that can help develop maths skills they would be willing to share? I have a lot that don't understand combining two sets as adding, some that can't write numerals to 10 and others that can manipulate numbers to 1000! I don't feel my ability to teach calculating is anywhere near as good as my teaching of other areas. Edited January 23, 2010 by Guest
Guest Posted January 23, 2010 Posted January 23, 2010 Hello! Hope everyone is doing ok! Would anyone in NW London area be kind enough to have a visit from an NQT who is loving getting these challenges up and running? Do you set the children a sheet of challenges or a challenge to do in each area?
Guest LornaW Posted January 24, 2010 Posted January 24, 2010 Hello!Hope everyone is doing ok! Would anyone in NW London area be kind enough to have a visit from an NQT who is loving getting these challenges up and running? Do you set the children a sheet of challenges or a challenge to do in each area? I know a school in SE london that works like this if you PM me I can give you their details. Lorna
Guest Posted January 25, 2010 Posted January 25, 2010 Great Quote Marion! Sarah I am in the same boat as you implementing the same style but with a YR/1/2 class. I have no experience either but I am sticking at it. Feel free to email me if you want to pair up and get through the self doubt together! Best wishes to all x That sounds like a great idea! I'm off to see a play based AST this week so I'll let you know if I pick up any good ideas! I do have a sheet that links the profile with APP if that's any good to you? I found it great just for a starting point for some of my Year 1s that havent quite ticked all the profile boxes. PM me and Ill send you my email add! Came across the Mike Kent article today, what a wonderful article, makes you think there's hope! Hope evryone's week has gotten off to an ok start!? P.s. had to change my username
Guest Posted January 26, 2010 Posted January 26, 2010 Hi would anyone please be willing to share a blank copy of all the weekly plans you fill in. Thanks
AnonyMouse_79 Posted January 26, 2010 Posted January 26, 2010 I use the literacy and numeracy plans that my HT devised and a topic planner for everything else and indicate on there what the challenges are. I dont have a big enough room to set up areas in any way.
Guest Posted January 30, 2010 Posted January 30, 2010 I've managed to get the challenges up and running and most of the children are now used to completing them independently or with the occasional adult support, however with 30 children in the classroom it's proving rather chaotic in terms of noise! How do you manage the noise levels in your classrooms when the children are working on independent challenges? Usually I have a group and my TA has a group but with 30 children in total I usually find that my voice has risen so loud that I'm almost yelling at the children in my group before I realise! If I stop the children and quieten them down it lasts all of 30 seconds before the noise level climbs again, definitely not condusive to good quality talk and communication! Any ideas for getting the noise levels down and keeping them that way?
AnonyMouse_79 Posted January 30, 2010 Posted January 30, 2010 Thats what Im noticing this week too, if its any consolation although the involvement has certainly been more intense and I assumed my building challenge was perhaps not as conducive to quiet work as some of the others!
AnonyMouse_23497 Posted January 31, 2010 Posted January 31, 2010 Hi I teach Y2/1 and Rec all in one class. Was an NQT last year. Have tried so many ways to get this working, but what you are doing sounds great to me! I am doing similar, but running Lit one morning and Numeracy the next, whilst the TA works with the opposite subject and I get more quality time to work with every child in my class every day (be it lit or numeracy).....this seems to be working so far! Good luck! Becky I am working in Y2 after having been in FS for a few years. I am trying to bring good FS practice into Y2 and would appreciate any comments.This is what I have done so far: set up my classroom with 2 'group tables' for myself and my TA to work at and divided the rest of the classroom into FS style learning areas - role play, writing, maths, creative, book corner, construction etc organised my class into 4 groups so at any one time 2 groups are adult led and 2 groups are making their own choices about their learning organised the curriculum so that literacy and all other subjects except maths (which is a bit separate) are taught through a topic I would like to free some more time up to work alongside the children as they play, and observe them, rather than always leading groups, but feel under pressure to make sure children get enough 'done' each week. Is anyone doing anything similar? Any thoughts on this? Thanks Megan
AnonyMouse_23497 Posted January 31, 2010 Posted January 31, 2010 Hi it is great to know that someone else is out there teaching rec/y1/y2 too! NQT last year, not sure if I am doing this right and decided that there is no 'right' way!!! would really like to talk to you about how you run your classroom? Thanks Becky Great Quote Marion! Sarah I am in the same boat as you implementing the same style but with a YR/1/2 class. I have no experience either but I am sticking at it. Feel free to email me if you want to pair up and get through the self doubt together! Best wishes to all x
Guest Posted January 31, 2010 Posted January 31, 2010 Susan it is great to see that involvement levels are high and I suppose that compensates for the noise levels. Are you using your outside as well as indoors that can help and by outside i mean corridors as well as outdoor area? We find if we spread outsdelves around it helps but yes there is more noise but like Susan when I stop and look around it is all meaningful conversation. Keep at it though it is worth it! Emilia
AnonyMouse_79 Posted January 31, 2010 Posted January 31, 2010 We are a semi open plan school by design, although most of the classrooms had doors fitted last year--except mine thankfully as I have the smallest space in the school! So we naturally tend to spill out into the corridor although it has tended to become the quiet working area for others to take groups into. My children are reluctant to use the corridor space without specific direction but Im working on that one as I have moved some of my classroom furniture out there and my challenge boxes live there too! The classroom doors, although designed to be open also have some sort of fire safety closure mechanism which responds to the level of noise in the classroom and will close automatically so in practise are difficult to keep open!!! My classroom is also the only one without any direct access to the outside and my exit is through a door with break bars so not the easiest for the children to manage. Oh the joys of building constraints but I WONT be giving up on this one. I feel so much more in control!
Guest Posted January 31, 2010 Posted January 31, 2010 I can't really spill out onto the corridor we are a small school and every classroom opens onto the same corridor. There is a table set up in the corridor but it's used a lot for quiet group work by every class. Also everyone keeps their door open (I find this awkward I hate feeling like the riot my class are making is being heard everywhere!) I do send a group out with my TA to another small room in the school when they are doing their focussed activity but that's really all I can do. The children can't be in the corridor without supervision (it's too open out there onto the hall and main entrance and impossible to see from the classroom due to the weird shape of the room). Usually I have between 12 and 18 children working independently at any one time and the noise level is so awful that I have actually damaged my throat this week and I'm now suffering with a horrible throat infection I don't want to go back to getting more of them sat around tables as we all love the challenges but this way doesn't seem to be doing any good to my poor voice.
AnonyMouse_79 Posted January 31, 2010 Posted January 31, 2010 Can you develop a clapping routine to attract attention? I clap my hands in a rhythm and children clap back to me and put their hands in the air, then I can talk into silence. It works really well.
Guest LornaW Posted January 31, 2010 Posted January 31, 2010 I agree with susan we used to ring bells and all the children knew this was a signal to stop and listen. Raising your voice often just makes the noise level rise and your blood pressure and as you have said Kariana has more of an effect on you than the children. Can you perhaps remove some of the furniture from your class to then make floor space or perhaps some other nooks for children to work in ? otherwise you need to stop them regulalry to remind them and you will usually find after a couple of weeks they get the idea. Give them a choice cahllenges and less noise or back to desk work?
Guest Posted February 1, 2010 Posted February 1, 2010 I agree with susan we used to ring bells and all the children knew this was a signal to stop and listen. Raising your voice often just makes the noise level rise and your blood pressure and as you have said Kariana has more of an effect on you than the children. To be honest it never stressed me out until last week when it just got beyond what even my high tolerance for noise can take. I thought I was going to go insane! Can you perhaps remove some of the furniture from your class to then make floor space or perhaps some other nooks for children to work in ? I managed to take away some furniture at the beginning of the year, but the teacher I job share with is very attached to her clutter. It's like prising a toy away from a very persistant child! Otherwise you need to stop them regulalry to remind them and you will usually find after a couple of weeks they get the idea. Give them a choice challenges and less noise or back to desk work? I've been regularly stopping and reminding since the beginning of the year, and I do use clapping signals, unfortunately something isn't sinking in. I'm beginning to think the other teacher doesn't bother! She's very attached to her deskwork and even though we only have enough tables for half of them to sit down at once she will get them all lying on their fronts on the floor to write in their books all at the same time so they never end up doing challenges when she's in! I would never go back to that way of working, I think the children get so much out of the challenges and today they were actually much better with the noise levels. I think last week they just must have been very over excited! I do have several children though who seem unable to moderate their voice (my brighter ones and nothing wrong with their ears!), one of them is so loud I hear her over everyone else all the time. Hopefully she'll eventually learn, but in the meantime I'm thinking of buying some earplugs!
Guest Posted February 1, 2010 Posted February 1, 2010 I just found that making a few different 'corners' in my classroom made a difference. Also limiting the children to only 4 in the role play area, and 3 in the sand seemed to spread the noise out a little bit, making it a little easier. Sorry it's not much, but they were things that helped me.
Guest Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 Hi everyone I have been slowly increasing the number of challenges children complete over the term and it has been going well - they seem to really like having the structure of something to do, but the choice about when they do it! I haven't gone to challenges in all areas, as it is great when they come up with completely random things they want to do as well. Resources have been a bit of an issue, and I am sure some things would be more popular if I could change them more... On the noise issue, I think they have got quieter as they have realised that the challenges will be there all the time, they are not so over excited about them now! I have definitely needed to limit numbers of children in specific areas though. I have also noticed that children are noisier with adults sometimes, I have a student at the moment and having 3 adult-led groups rather that the usual 2 with me and my TA has increased the volume! Not sure why?! I am finding it very hard to spend any time observing the children or working alongside them as they do their challenges and choosing - is anyone else managing this? Megan x
Guest Posted February 15, 2010 Posted February 15, 2010 I'm having such a hard time thinking up challenges this half term. All those excellent Featherstone books are out of print and impossible to get hold of. Anyone want to share a list of challenges they've used so far for ideas? Perhaps we could gather them together in a seperate thread?
Guest LornaW Posted February 15, 2010 Posted February 15, 2010 Kariana is this the book you are looking for http://www.eden.co.uk/shop/meeting-the-cha...ge-1792932.html Lorna
AnonyMouse_79 Posted February 15, 2010 Posted February 15, 2010 Thats the one! Ive got access to one but havent used it yet!
Guest Posted February 16, 2010 Posted February 16, 2010 Kariana is this the book you are looking for http://www.eden.co.uk/shop/meeting-the-cha...ge-1792932.html Lorna Yes that's the one, but it's out of stock! I think ebay is my only hope.
Guest sarahjw Posted February 19, 2010 Posted February 19, 2010 Hello I've just found this thread and feel very inspired. I have a mixed Reception and Year 1 class. I have to do 2 phonics groups per day (TA does another 2), and Literacy and Numeracy. As such, I have felt that the really important play stuff gets neglected and had come to the conclusion that setting challenges to be carried out in the areas was the way forward to get some sense of purpose. So this thread is a God send. Thank you all! Sarah
Guest Posted August 5, 2010 Posted August 5, 2010 This thread is excellent - so much useful advice, thank you everyone. I'm a reception teacher in a small primary and we are looking at extending some elements of the FS into Y1 (..and poss Y2) so this is great. I know this is a bit cheeky but would anyone be willing to lend me the "Meeting the Challenge" book by Shaw/Dupree? I've been keeping an eye on ebay but no joy there and no-one I know has it. I would of course pay all postage costs and promise faithfully to return it!
Guest Posted August 21, 2010 Posted August 21, 2010 This thread IS excellent! I know I posted here earlier on in the year when I was having a bit of a struggle as to how to bring the active, independent, creative ethos of a R class into a mixed Y1/2 classroom. I took the plung... threw out loads of desks, opened up the classroom into the different areas and set challenges for the children and I have to admit Ive had a wonderful year. The real challenge was resources but I've started to build a little stash The best part was at the end of the year when the Y2 children sat their SATs. I worried how they would cope with the formality of the tests as we had done virtually no work in this way. HOWEVER, they all did a great job -(a) their attitude towards the tests and how they applied themselves proved how they were more 'ready' for this kind of 'work', at the end of KS1 and after having had such an active year, using and applying key skills and being encouraged to think for themselves and ( their SATs results were just as good as the set of results from the older Y2 children in the school (we stream loosely on age). Now for a new challenge, new school and teaching in Reception! Thanks to everyone for all their advice! x
AnonyMouse_79 Posted August 21, 2010 Posted August 21, 2010 Glad to hear all went well. Enjoy your new job!
Guest Posted August 29, 2010 Posted August 29, 2010 http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/earl...?category_id=67 Don't know who told me about this and I don't know if anyone else has seen it but think it is very good support Ideas and objectives for early years, year 1 and year 2 national curriculum, incorporating continuous provision into topics. Hope it helps someone! I will certainly be sharing this with KS1 staff when we go back!
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